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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mine — for digging
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. shower — to wash
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. drill — the tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. shower — rain
  18. drill — a practice
  19. deal — to handle
  20. drill — army training
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com